Viral/buzz marketing promotional body launches

Frank PR and Cake’s new-media division have signed up to the Viral & Buzz Marketing Association, which aims to enable members to swap case studies and develop best practice internationally.

The VBMA aims to encourage buzz marketing – where organisations target and incentivise people who they believe will advocate their brand – and viral marketing, which can manifest itself as online games or videostreams.

VBMA UK spokesman Justin Kirby, MD of viral/buzz specialist DMC, said: ‘PR companies are arguably best placed to carry out viral/buzz campaigns. Many of them are too focused on media management.’

The VBMA, whose president is Germany-based Thomas Zorbach, wanted to ‘dispel the myth’ that such campaigns do not deliver ROI, said Kirby.

‘Major companies are devoting significant budgets to this area – PR agencies need to wake up,’ he added.